Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504250037
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
John, 32, had spent 1994 as a rookie in the NASCAR Winston Cup series after seven years in Indy cars. But a lot of his Indy-car friends didn't think he was serious about stock car racing. They wanted to know when he was coming back. Some were openly contemptuous when they spoke of stock cars.
``Everybody wanted to call me a redneck,'' John said.
And as the three Andrettis sipped wine and talked between the racks of bottles, the patriarch of one of the greatest families in the history of American racing told his nephew how impressed he was with what he was doing.
``He said, `John, you may or may not know it, but you've got my support. And I think what you're doing down there is really good. And I'm following you.'
``It was the first time I had ever talked to him about it,'' John said. ``They wanted me to come down there to the wine cellar, and Mario and I started talking. He talked about his retirement. We talked about a lot of things. My dad was standing there. It was just the three of us.
``It made me feel good. And it made my dad feel good. Sometimes you feel like you're the Lone Ranger. He's got to take care of his kids and you're out there on your own. Every now and then, it's nice to be noticed.''
Although some NASCAR fanatics have no use for Indy-car racing, most fans surely must feel as Mario does. There is plenty of room for both forms of racing in the United State. And it is good to have an Andretti in the NASCAR Winston Cup series.
The roots of the Andrettis, of course, run as deep in Indy-car racing as any racing family. But John, one of the most versatile racers in the collection with victories in Indy cars, open-wheel sprints and midgets, IMSA sports cars and even a bit of experience in drag racing, has settled down with the good old boys.
He headed south because his Indy-car career had stalled. He couldn't find competitive rides and he had a lot of trouble trying to persuade himself before races that he actually had a chance to win. He wasn't having any fun. So he left.
And now he's driving the Kmart Little Caesars Ford Thunderbird for the first-year team owned by Haas, Michael Kranefuss and crew chief Tim Brewer. He's been making progress, too, leading some laps and finishing 10th twice. Going into today's Hanes 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Andretti is 13th in the points standings.
``When I started to come over, my uncle was probably one of the few who understood why I was looking at it and what I found in it,'' John said.
It would be surprising, to be sure, if Mario had not supported John's NASCAR efforts. In the late 1960s, when Mario's career was blossoming, he was willing to race anything that had four wheels.
``If Mario wasn't doing LeMans, Indianapolis, Daytona, Pikes Peak and dirt-car racing during the year back then, he wasn't working,'' John said. Mario won the Daytona 500 in 1967 in a car that drove so loose nobody else on the track wanted to get near him.
But racing has become more specialized now. It no longer is considered fashionable or practical to cherry pick in other racing series, assuming one is serious about winning the championship in his primary series.
``I'm the exception to the rule,'' Andretti said. He proved it in May 1994 when he drove in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, shuttling from Indianapolis to Charlotte, N.C., in a private jet.
``It's good for racing. And I still think it can be done,'' he said. ``So I'm kind of the outcast.''
John wants to repeat his doubleheader again this year, but he's running into stiff opposition from his NASCAR owners.
``I'm not interested in the Indy-car series, I'm interested in the Indianapolis 500,'' he said. ``They like to take it out of the equation. I like to put it in the equation.'' The issue has yet to be settled.
In the meantime, John is sinking his own roots deeper in NASCAR racing. When his second child, Olivia, was born March 29, he and wife Nancy were overwhelmed by flowers, cards and calls from NASCAR folks.
``We feel like we're part of the NASCAR family,'' he said. ``My fan club is booming. My fan mail is overwhelming. Two years ago, if I had gotten the right offer in Indy cars, I would have stayed. Now I don't want to go back.''
Except, of course, to Indy in May. And August.
by CNB